1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for rotating, opening and closing curtains or slats of blinds, and more specifically to a beaded chain and/or cord having a distinguishing characteristic on at least a portion of the length of the beaded chain or cord that aids a user in rotating blind slats and/or moving blinds or curtains in a desired direction.
2. Background
Vertical blinds typically use a continuous beaded chain to rotate a series of vertical slats through 180 degrees. By pulling on one side of the chain, the slats rotate in one direction, e.g. to the right, and by pulling on the other side of the chain, the slats rotate in the opposite direction, e.g. to the left. Similarly, cords are utilized in curtains and blinds for opening or closing the curtains or blinds in a horizontal or vertical direction. Existing beaded chains utilize a continuous beaded chain in which all of the beads are of uniform size. This introduces a purely "by chance" event when rotating the slats as there is no way for an operator to know which chain is going to produce the desired result. Similarly, a person desiring to open the curtains or blinds will pull on a side of a cord only to watch the curtains and blinds close. The resulting undesired movement of the blinds or curtain, more often than not, elicits exclamations of frustration along with an overzealous tug on the other side of the cord.
In addition to frustrating the operator, pulling the incorrect cord introduces unnecessary wear and tear on the mechanisms of the curtain or blinds. For example, if curtains or blinds are fully opened, a hard tug on the cord stresses the cord because the curtain or blind does not move in response to the downward pulling force. A strong tug on the cord when the curtain or blind is at full extension, either opened or closed, has the potential of snapping the cord, or worse, pulling an entire curtain assembly off of a wall. Similarly, a tug on the incorrect side of the beaded chain, will cause the beaded chain or the gearing to slip which, over an extended time, will degrade the rotational mechanisms of the blinds.
FIG. 1 illustrates the cord 4 and beaded chain 2 of the prior art that interact with the control assembly 8 of the curtain or blind slats 6. In a typical window blind, the beaded chain 2 loops around a sprocket (not shown) that is linked to each slat 6 to rotate the slat 6 through 180 degrees of rotation. By pulling on a first chain side 2a, the slats 6 rotate in a first direction, and by pulling on a second chain side 2b the slats 6 rotate in a second direction. For example, to angle the slats 6 to the left, an operator must tug on the first chain side 2a, and to angle the slats 6 to the right, the operator must tug on the second chain side 2b. A tug on the incorrect chain side results in an undesirable position of the slats 6 and/or stress on or slippage of the beaded chain.
The beaded chain 2 of the prior art of FIG. 1 does not provide an operator with the opportunity to learn which chain side 2a, 2b to pull because the beaded chain 2 tends to hang in such a manner that the sides 2a, 2b of the chain are indistinguishable, For example, the chain sides 2a, 2b often are touching or are wound around each other, and may not be in predictable locations, e.g. to the front or to the back, due to interference with the blinds, furniture, or the window sill. Further, the typical operator does not have the patience to scrutinize the chain 2 and sprocket (not shown) to determine which side 2a, 2b to pull.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the cord 4 of the prior art typically loops the entire length of the curtains or blinds 6 through the control assembly 8. A tug on a first cord side 4a causes the blinds to open, and a tug on the second cord side 4b causes the blinds to close. The cord 4 presents similar problems as presented by the beaded chain 2 in that an operator will inevitably pull the cord side 4a, 4b that results in an undesirable movement of the curtains or blinds. Thus, a need for a distinguishing beaded chain and cord exists that will assist an operator in determining which chain side 2a, 2b or which cord side 4a, 4b to pull to obtain a desired result.